Kimberly Fiorello
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kimberly Fiorello
| image =
| imagesize =
| birth_place = Seoul, Gyeonggi, South Korea
| residence = Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| state_house = Connecticut
| district = 149th
| term_start = January 6, 2021
| term_end = January 4, 2023
| predecessor = Livvy Floren
| successor = Rachel Khanna
| constituency = Greenwich and Stamford
| party = Republican
| spouse = Jonathan Fiorello
| religion =
| alma_mater = Harvard University
| website = {{URL|http://www.kimberlyfor149.com}}
| footnotes =
| birth_name = Kimberly Song
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|10|20}}
| children = 4
| education = South Lakes High School
}}
Kimberly Song Fiorello (née Song; born October 20, 1975) is an American politician who served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 149th District, which encompasses parts of Greenwich and Stamford, for the Republican Party from January 6, 2021 to January 4, 2023. Earlier in her political career she served on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) in Greenwich, from 2017 to 2020. She was part of Connecticut's Conservative Caucus.
Early life and education
Fiorello was born Kimberly Song on October 20, 1975, in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Reston, Virginia.{{Cite web |title=Republicans Nominate Kimberly Fiorello to Run for State Rep, 149th District |url=https://greenwichfreepress.com/news/government/republicans-nominate-kimberly-fiorello-to-run-for-state-rep-149th-district-139494/ |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Greenwich Free Press |date=19 May 2020 |language=en-US}} Her father worked for the United States Department of Defense, while her mother owned and operated a coffee shop. She is a grandchild of a refugee from North Korea.{{Cite web |title=Reps. Fiorello Urges President Biden, CT Congressional Delegation to Stop Extradition of U.S. Veteran |url=https://www.greenwichsentinel.com/2021/05/27/reps-fiorello-urges-president-biden-ct-congressional-delegation-to-stop-extradition-of-u-s-veteran/ |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Greenwich Sentinel |language=en-US}} She initially attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York for one year before transferring to Harvard College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts (AB) in Economics.{{cite web | url=https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-kimberly-fiorello-rising-republican-star-20210712-vfuaw5z4evbahg4bvxnxq5uj4m-story.html | title=State Rep. Kimberly Fiorello, a rising GOP star, is ready to do battle in the divisive culture wars | date=12 July 2021 }}{{Cite web |title=Kimberly Fiorello |url=https://clubforgrowthfoundation.org/fellow/kimberly-fiorello/ |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=CFG Foundation |language=en-US}}
Career
She started her career after college in the analyst training program at Salomon Brothers in New York ultimately becoming a reporter for the Far Eastern Economic Review and the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.{{cite web |last1=Scofield |first1=R.J. |title=Candidate Profile: Kimberly Fiorello For CT House District 149 |url=https://patch.com/connecticut/greenwich/candidate-profile-kimberly-fiorello-ct-house-district-149 |website=patch.com |date=19 October 2020 |publisher=Greenwich CT Patch |access-date=February 16, 2021 |ref=1}} Fiorello also engaged as a line chef at Wallace Restaurant in New York and several entrepreneurial activities such as becoming an inventor of a storage bag design (U.S. patent holder) and former state director for a non-profit organization in education. She also served as active community volunteer for the Greenwich Historical Society and Grace Church of Greenwich.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-21 |title=CT Patch Candidate Profile: Kimberly Fiorello For 149th House District |url=https://patch.com/connecticut/greenwich/ct-patch-candidate-profile-kimberly-fiorello-149th-house-district |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=Greenwich, CT Patch |language=en}}
Political career
Fiorello first entered state politics when she ran for the 149th District seat.{{cite web |last1=Borsuk |first1=Ken |title=Showdown in the 149th: Fiorello, Stowe debate the issues |url=https://www.lmtonline.com/local/article/Showdown-in-the-149th-Fiorello-Stowe-debate-the-15649095.php |website=lmtonline.com |publisher=Laredo Morning Times |access-date=February 16, 2021 |ref=1}} In November 2020, she won the election for the seat.{{cite web |title=Fiorello claims victory in the 149th House District for Greenwich, Stamford |url=https://www.greenwichtime.com/elections_copy/article/Fiorello-claims-victory-in-the-149th-House-15704321.php |website=greenwichtime.com |date=5 November 2020 |publisher=Greenwich Time |access-date=February 16, 2021 |ref=1}} Since taking office, Fiorello, like many other politicians in Fairfield County, has been very vocal in regards to local control over zoning, among other issues.{{cite web |last1=Borsuk |first1=Ken |title=Leaders from across Fairfield County unite over opposing possible affordable housing mandates |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/local/greenwichtime/article/Leaders-from-across-Fairfield-County-unite-over-15885982.php |website=ctinsider.com |date=20 January 2021 |publisher=Greenwich Time |access-date=February 16, 2021 |ref=1}}
Fiorello spoke on the House floor against legislation designed to make it easier to report instances of sexual misconduct on college campuses. Addressing a section of the bill that allowed amnesty for underaged drinking in cases of sexual assault or rape, which was included to help encourage student-survivors to report their experiences, Fiorello said, “I want to say if you care about your friends, and you see the potential for this kind of violence and harm that can come to your friends, and drinking and doing drugs is related to that, then don’t drink. Don’t do the drugs."{{Cite web |last=Bergman |first=Julia |date=2021-05-26 |title=Lawmaker criticized over remarks that sexual assault could be curtailed by less drinking, drug use |url=https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Lawmaker-says-sexual-assault-could-be-curtailed-16205901.php |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=Connecticut Post |language=en-US}} Mike Cerulli, former president of the Connecticut Federation of College Democrats, criticized Fiorello, saying her comments “reflect a fairly common narrative" that blames victims — “if they hadn’t been drinking, if they hadn’t dressed a certain way" then they would not have been sexually assaulted. Fiorello ultimately voted in favor of the bill, which was passed 151–0.
In March 2022, Fiorello entered into a dispute with a 20-year-old college student testifying in favor of an affordable housing bill. Alan Cavagnaro, a sophomore at Manchester Community College, testified that many people his age are leaving the state because it was too expensive to live there. Fiorello, opposing the bill, asked Cavagnaro whether he believed housing was a right, to which he stated yes. Fiorello responded that “housing is not a right, because housing is built by other people", and is instead a "want".{{Cite web |last=Bergman |first=Julia |date=2022-03-15 |title='Is housing a right?': Exchange between lawmaker and college student shows CT affordable housing divide |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/Is-housing-a-right-Exchange-between-17004863.php |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=CT Insider |language=en-US}}
When debating on whether to make Juneteenth a state holiday, Fiorello, a member of the state's Conservative Caucus, called the Three-fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved Black people as three-fifths of a person, a "compromise in favor towards freedom".{{Cite web |last=Moritz |first=John |date=2022-05-04 |title=CT lawmakers pass Juneteenth holiday, but comments on slavery prompt backlash |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/CT-lawmakers-pass-Juneteenth-holiday-but-17148602.php |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=CT Insider |language=en-US}} Fiorello's comments drew rebuke from Robyn Porter, a Black Representative from New Haven, who pushed back on Fiorello's comments by responding “the fact that Black people — men, women and children — were not seen as whole human beings for the purposes of taxation and representation, that is what the Three-Fifths Compromise was rooted and grounded in". Fiorello voted in favor of the bill, which was passed 148–1.
In November 2022, Fiorello narrowly lost her re-election bid to Democratic candidate Rachel Khanna.{{Cite web |title=Election Center: November 2022 State Election |url=https://ctemspublic.pcctg.net/#/races |publisher=Secretary of the State of Connecticut}}{{Cite web |last1=Borsuk |first1=Ken |last2=Marchant |first2=Robert |last3=Gurciullo |first3=Brianna |date=2022-11-09 |title=Democrat Rachel Khanna defeats incumbent Republican Kimberly Fiorello to win CT House 149th District race |url=https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/CT-House-149-District-win-Rachel-Khanna-17559185.php |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=Greenwich Time |language=en-US}}
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change|title=2020 Connecticut House of Representatives election, District 149{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Connecticut_House_of_Representatives_District_149|title = Connecticut House of Representatives District 149}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| candidate = Kimberly Fiorello
| votes = 7203
| percentage = 51.40
| change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| candidate = Kathleen Stowe
| votes = 6809
| percentage = 48.60
| change =
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 14012
| percentage = 100.00
| change =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link no change
| winner = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}{{Election box begin no change|title=2022 Connecticut House of Representatives election, District 149{{Cite web|url=https://ctemspublic.pcctg.net/#/races|title = November 2022 State Election}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
| party = Democratic Party (United States)
| candidate = Rachel Khanna
| votes = 5243
| percentage = 49.97
| change =yes
}}{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Independent Party of Connecticut|candidate=Rachel Khanna|votes=108|percentage=1.03}}
{{Election box candidate no change|party=Total|votes=5351|candidate=Rachel Khanna|percentage=51.00}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| party = Republican Party (United States)
| candidate = Kimberly Fiorello
| votes = 5141
| percentage = 49.00
| change =yes
}}
{{Election box total no change
| votes = 10492
| percentage = 100.00
| change =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|winner=Democratic Party (United States)|loser=Republican Party (United States)|swing=-2.4}}{{Election box end}}
Personal life
Fiorello is married to Jonathan "Jon" Fiorello (b. 1976), who is a managing director at KKR.{{Cite web |date=2018-03-15 |title=Jon Fiorello |url=https://www.kkr.com/our-firm/leadership/jon-fiorello |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=KKR |language=en}} They reside in Greenwich and have four children.{{Cite web |last=Fiorello |first=Kimberly |date=2020-07-03 |title=Opinion: Candidate embraces state's revolutionary history |url=https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/Opinion-Candidate-embraces-state-s-15384405.php |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=StamfordAdvocate |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiorello, Kimberly}}
Category:Women state legislators in Connecticut
Category:Harvard College alumni
Category:Politicians from Greenwich, Connecticut
Category:United States Military Academy alumni
Category:American women journalists
Category:The Wall Street Journal people
Category:Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Category:21st-century American women politicians
Category:American politicians of Korean descent
Category:American people of North Korean descent
Category:South Korean emigrants to the United States
Category:American women of Korean descent in politics
Category:Asian conservatism in the United States
Category:21st-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly